For Jews around the world, the sound of the shofar reappoints God Almighty as ruler of the world. Its piercing sound each year is a cry of renewal, calling on us to reflect on the year past and bless the one to come. This moment of renewal offers us an opportunity to take stock of where the Jewish community stands: the challenges it faces and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Looking back on this past year, the challenges remain real and urgent. We have seen countries around the globe where violent antisemitism goes unchecked, where age-old rituals like shechita and brit milah are threatened, and where dangerous rhetoric undermines the safety and security of Jews globally.
Yet alongside these challenges, the opportunities that lie ahead give us reasons to be optimistic: Saudi Arabia addressing concerning themes in school curricula to help lower the levels of hate globally; Colombia’s new leadership calling out the antisemitism of its predecessors to stand with its Jewish community; Argentina turning the page 32 years after the deadliest antisemitic attack in the Jewish Diaspora since the Holocaust to become the first Latin American country to assume the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) presidency; and the Dominican Republic endorsing the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to ensure public authorities have the tools they need to identify and counter this hatred wherever it appears.
These are all positive advancements for the world, reminding us that goodness and kindness will prevail when leaders step up and take a stand against hatred.
Still, I am too much of a realist to think that this ancient problem can be solved overnight.
What we require is a sustained commitment to action. Under U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, America is confronting this scourge head-on. We are withdrawing from antisemitic international bodies, countering antisemitic terrorism and holding governments accountable for failing to protect Jewish communities. Through our decisive action, we are making it clear that if you are willing to fight hatred and bigotry, we will stand proudly with you.
Yes, the challenge is enormous, but America will always answer the call.
As we celebrated America’s 250th birthday at a Shabbat dinner at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in July, we remembered George Washington’s famous quote: “For happily the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.” I am privileged to serve under the leadership of a president and secretary in an administration whose enduring commitment to Washington’s words guides our every move today.
As the shofar sounds this new year, we wish all of humankind the blessing that evil shall have no place in this world and that all of humankind can live in a world free of bigotry and persecution. Let us make a resolution that we all can be better people, challenging ourselves to respect one another.
Shanah Tovah! May we all be inscribed and sealed in the proverbial “Book of Life” and prosperity.
